Megaman AXL
by RevolverVincentRaikov
Summary: Three years have passed since Zero's successful destruction of the orbital satellite Ragnarok. Humans and Reploids are finally at peace, and almost all conflicts have been resolved between the two races, at the cost of the red hunter's life. In the presence of a new threat, who will rise up against it? Set after MMZ4.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman. Capcom does.**

 **Megaman AXL**

 **Chapter 01**

It's been three years, three years since Weil has been defeated.

Three years since reploids and humans alike have re-united for the first time in a whole century.

And three years since Zero completed that very mission...

To reclaim our peace, at the cost of his life.

Resistance Headquarters

Ciel lifted her head up from the monitor, taking a bit to relax her eyes. Ever since the evil Dr. Weil was defeated, things have calmed down; the human settlement at one of the remaining bio-engineered forests have grown into a small town, and Neo Arcadia was restored to its former glory. There was still a lot of work left to do; assessing the minor conflicts between humans and reploids alike, reconstruction of buildings and homes, and giving the humans a proper settlement. Ciel yawned, maintaining peace was sure a lot of work.

Most of them hoped that Zero was still alive, more so with the blonde scientist. So far, they've recovered his helmet, and it was barely intact, with webbing cracks and a few missing pieces. Cerveau had set up satellites in order to find Zero's signature by comparing his data acquired from the different Trans Servers the reploid once used, and hopefully track him, or at least, what was left of the red maverick hunter. Ciel stood, stretched her form to remove the numbness from being stationary for too long, then headed out of her laboratory. She spotted Allouette, who was clutching her stuffed toy cat to her chest. The pink clad scientist smiled.

"Ciel." The blond child called out, noticing her. "Will... will Zero be back?" Ciel went to the girl and patted her head, a sad smile forming on her face.

"I hope so, Allouette. We are still looking for him." Ciel could do nothing but try to comfort the little girl. Allouette was still a child, and like the others, she still couldn't settle with the red reploid's dissapearance. The resistance's hope was slowly dwindling each passing day, and even Ciel was already coming to terms of Zero's supposed fate. Suddenly, Cerveau came running towards the two, who looked like he was in a hurry.

"Ciel! We've recieved an unknown signal that almost has the same signature as Zero's, but it was a whole lot different entirely." The green uniformed scientist-slash- weapon maker managed to say. Ciel perked her head in renewed interest.

"Where is the signal's location?" She asked, eager to know. Cerveau motioned for them to follow to the control room. On a large screen showed a city that had been abandoned for years ago, with the buildings showing signs of erosion. The sun bathed walls of the structures showed cracks due to the weathering, and the distorting air around it made the place seem arid as a desert. The city dated back to the 22nd Century, the time where the Maverick Hunters were still in service.

"The signal was last detected at Giga City, a once glorious capital long ago. It was also one of the cities known for the production of 'New Generation Reploids'; replicated androids who had a specialized chip that was said to make them immune to the once epidemic Sigma Virus. They were a truly advanced kind, though they were built in a low number that there is nary a survivor by this time." He then looked at Ciel. "Should we investigate the area?" She gave a nod in return. "Okay. I'll try to assemble a squadron to accompany you tomorrow. Let us wait for now." He then left the room, preparing arrangements for the upcoming search and rescue. Ciel stared at the blinking red dot on the screen that was on a large map of the said city. She then had a determined look, her will recovering to find whom the signal came from.

"Zero... I hope you're alright."

Author's note: Hello! Revolver here. I finally mustered up the courage to make a fic. Its been a while since I've played the X and Zero series, so I apologize for inaccuracies. I am also sorry for any grammar mistakes; english isn't my first language. Still, I am trying to improve, and hopefully I've met your expectations. Critics are welcome, especially the constructive ones.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman. Capcom does.**

 **Megaman AXL**

 **Chapter 02**

 **Resistance Headquarters**

There has been quite a fuss after the discovery of the strange signal from Giga City. Talks about welcoming, celebration, and congratulations have rang in the headquarter's morning. Of course, there was a small group from within the base who had their doubts about the origin of the signal, but still, most kept their hopes up. Cerveau has requested a battalion from the Resistance Army to participate in the expedition, and most of the soldiers who were asked to take part took it gladly. The other's? Not so much. They all knew that back then, the first day they have discovered Zero in the ancient, abandoned laboratory, a lot of soldiers died on the way, nearly, if not, completely wiping the squad that was with Ciel at that time. That was not to say they weren't glad seeing the red reploid again; most of them have already accepted the hero's uncertain fate, and seeing someone who seemingly died then come back again was an unsettling thought to them.

After a lot of arrangements and some convincing, Cerveau have managed to prepare the rescue team. Ciel was ready, and was also part of the lead. She was contemplating whether to bring a Cyber Elf or not, as the same circumstances to recover Zero might happen again. One can never be too prepared, right?

"Ciel, are you ready?" Cerveau asked as he entered the control room. "I have conjured at least thirty combat ready soldiers to join you. Some of them are veterans and have participated in the Elf Wars." He motioned for her to follow to the Resistance base vehicle bay, were a caravan was arranged. Before going, Ciel felt a tug on her wrist, and saw Allouette, her blue eyes staring intently at the other.

"Be careful, okay?" The little girl spoke in a tone of worry. Ciel gave a soft smile, then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Allouette, don't worry. I'll be back soon."

"What about Zero?" Allouette asked, out of the blue. The pink scientist was caught slightly off guard by the question. Ciel had her doubts about the signal, but she was afraid to voice her opinions regarding the possible state of the maverick hunter. She could only smile back at the little reploid girl in reassurance.

"We shall see until we come back. Don't want to keep him waiting, right?"

 **Resistance Caravan**

Ciel drove one of the vans that headed for Giga City. As usual, the place was arid. Long ago, the place was standing somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, but now, all the seawater seemed to have dried up, and a land bridge was naturally formed connected to the artificial island. Area Zero, the place where the space colony Eurasia crashed about a hundred years ago, was the only place to have a 'natural' forest as opposed to the man-made mechanical ones, and a habitable ecology, with the aid of the space colonie's environmental systems which were strangely active after the atmospheric reentry, and even survived the impact. The signal's intensity was increasing as they began to approach the barren city. It was located on a tall building, and by the looks of it, it once was used as a command center. They soon parked their vehicles, and the squadron assembled quickly, with Ciel going along the lead.

"The readings seems to originate from below the ground." Ciel announced. The captain of the resistance soldiers heard these, and began to bark orders. Their formation consisted of five scouts who will check the area, behind them were five soldiers who will escort the scientist. Two teams of five will then secure checkpoints, and a squad of ten will keep watch at the tower's entrance.

"Scout team, go forward. Move!" Shouted the Commanding Officer. The scouts then went to survey the area. Radio communications were at a minimum to reduce radar interference. For conveinience, let us name them according to their jobs.

"Scout Three, go over and breach the door. Scout Five, prepare to fire for any rouge mechaniloids that may suddenly pop up. Four and Two, you're with me." Ordered the team's leader, namely, Scout One. With the fire of a buster shot, the blast door was opened. It gave in easily due to the structure's age. Seeing no hostile entites, Scout One then turned on his radio.

"This is Scout One. Area is clear of hostiles, over." Recieving the message, the CO then ordered for the Escort team to move, with Ciel moving along. They passed the forcefully opened entrance, and it turned out to lead onto a winding staircase. The Scout team already moved up ahead, repeating the same process. As they were nearing the source, Ciel's mind have been racking up dark thoughts. What if Zero wasn't here? Is all our effort for naught? The human scientist's hope was slowly diminishing each passing second. Zero's recovered parts were proof that a part of his, if not, whole body was obliterated along Ragnarok's scattered debris somehow. At the end of the corridor stood an old, large door that probably led to a laboratory. Ciel looked at her Positioning System, and it indicated that it was the end of their search. Her curiosity took a sudden rise; if Zero's body have ended up here for unknown reasons, then someone must've found the red reploid and took effort in repairing him. She tried to get the door to open, but it was sealed shut, and electronics based access systems were absent.

"Let me check." Said one of the resistance soldiers as he knocked against it's surface. It produced a kind of sound that indicated the object was quite hollow. Several cracks and traces of rust could be seen if one were to look closely. The soldier's eyes lit up as an idea struck him. "Let's try overwhelming it with a saturation attack." Their CO, seeing no problems with the suggestion, gave an order to open fire in a concentrated fusillade. Soon after, the structure was brought down due to the huge amount of damage it recieved. A normal buster shot may be weak, but a whole barrage of them could be described as overkill.

As Ciel entered the room, with the Escort team around her, she noticed that most of the equipment was in a dissaray. Computers, blueprints, and damaged reploid parts were scattered along the tiled floor. A large capsule was situated at the center, with many wires and other components attached to the pod. Thankfully, there wasn't a protective barrier as Ciel tried to approach it, so the use of a Cyber Elf was not needed. There was a control panel that was placed at the right side of the capsule, placed atop of a stand.

She then booted the panel up, and a series of options were presented. There was one holographic box that seemed to overlap others, and with it a message that was yet to be revealed. It almost made Ciel jump in surprise when it showed that X, the great blue reploid himself, had left that very message. As the blonde scientist was about to tap the screen to show a message, she heard a blood curling scream emanate from behind.

"Aaaah! Help me!" A resistance soldier tried to wriggle his way out of the large hand that suddenly grasped him. The creature was about twelve feet in height, and the only indication of the unknown mechaniloid's presence was it's intimidating sillhouette. This proved to be enough to rattle some of the battalion's bravery, as they only stared in fear, shock, and bewilderment.

"What are you all standing for? Shoot 'em down!" The Commander shouted at his men, and immediately, they began firing. The busters that the reploid soldiers were issued had a mediocre firing power at best, and the fact that most of them being originally civilian reploids did not help their case, as this type of reploid clearly was not meant for combat. They tried focusing their shots at the mechaniloid's head, or where they assumed it to be. The mechaniloid gave a loud growl as it was being pelted by buster fire again and again. Two rectangular 'eyes' then glowed a neon red, and in one swift motion, the soldiers got thrown away in different directions as a structure barely resembling an arm sweeped them of the floor. The figure then went out of the shadows, showing its full form. The mechaniloid's design was resembling that of a gorilla. Some of its body parts were covered in rust, and the metal covering of the machine that served as its 'skin' revealed signs of chipping away due to the test of time.

The rouge mechaniloid was clearly beyond repair, but it refused to back down.

"Miss Ciel! There's no time to waste. We must open the capsule now!" One resistance soldier managed to say through the ongoing panic. Ciel readily complied, and with the press of a button, the cylindrical pod started to open. A sudden wave of anxiety overcame her. What if the one inside wasn't Zero? Would he or she be an ally, or a foe? However, her train of thought was cut off as she felt a metallic grip pull her out of the ground.

"Kyaaaaa!"

"Miss Ciel!" One of the soldiers who heard the scream called out. He unloaded a full clip of his buster at the gorilla mechaniloid, but it worked to no avail. The maverick cocked back its mighty fist, then brought it down, creating an intense shockwave that blew away all the resistenc soldiers that was within its radius to the other side of the room. Ciel tried to escape from it's grasp, but the mechaniloid only tightened its grip on the scientist. The capsule finally opened, revealing what's inside. She tried to take a look with her cyan eyes that started to well up. For one thing, what she saw did not meet her initial expectations.

A black armored reploid was situated inside, and by the looks of it, he was still under the influence of hyper sleep. The face of the reploid was relatively young, with an 'X'-shaped scar at the bridge of his nose. A black helmet with a large purple orb served as his head's protection, and his auburn hair jutted outward on the back of his head, instead of flowing. If one were to look from a different angle, it resembles an 'A' shape. The black reploid was unaware of what was happening. Ciel gathered every bit of her remaining strength, and in one desperate attempt, she gave a full-on scream.

"Help me!"

At once, the black reploid's eyes opened. Scanning the area around him, he spotted a gorilla-like mechaniloid holding a girl in one arm. He immediately jumped out of the capsule, picked up a buster near him, then fired at its arm in a rapid succession. With great precision, he shot the severed, rusting joints that could barely hold its steel fingers. Ciel began to fall as she was released from the mechaniloid's hold, and the black reploid quickly moved to her aid, catching her in a bridal style position. The female scientist eyed the face of her savior, his green eyes meeting her's. "Who are you?" She muttered softly, but enough for the former maverick hunter to hear. He gave Ciel a smirk.

"The name's Axl, one of the best Hunter Base has to offer!"

 **Author's note: Hello! Revolver here. This chapter was released earlier than what I have initially planned. The previous chapter was too short, so I hope I'll make it up to you guys with this update. Criticism is welcome, especially the constructive ones.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman. Capcom does.**

 **Megaman AXL**

 **Chapter 03**

 **Abandoned Tower (Central Tower, Giga City)**

Ciel blinked at what the teen-looking reploid had just said. He was a hunter? As in a _Maverick Hunter_? She somehow doubted the supposed 'claim' at first, due to hearing a tinge of cockiness in his tone, but the accuracy and precision of his shots had made the human girl think otherwise. "Axl, we may not know you, but… will you help us?" Ciel asked. The cocky reploid gave her a smile.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure the gorilla's scrap metal in no time!" He rushed towards a group of soldiers, Ciel in his arms, then settled her down. "It would be better if you all leave this area immediately. Don't want any more casualties now, do we?" The commander, who heard Axl, took it as an order and quickly faced the resistance soldiers.

"You heard him! Let's leave the combat vicinity! Take all the survivors with you!" At once, the battalion started to move, some of them carrying the remaining reploids who lived through the ordeal, while the others were still paying their respects to their fallen comrades. "Miss Ciel, we must go, now! We might get trapped in the crossfire!" She gave on last look to Axl, who caught her gaze, and gave the blonde a reassuring smile. Ciel gave back a nod of good luck, then followed alongside the soldiers who started to flee. "Come back alive, Axl."

Axl watched as they left, then returned his attention to the Gorilla Mechaniloid. It stood on its hind legs, then began drumming its chest, an act of intimidation. The mechaniloid tried to roar, but static was the only thing that was produced from its withering voice box."That won't scare me even for a bit, you know?" Axl snickered, amused by its action. This only served to aggravate the Gorilla Mechaniloid more, as it charged without warning in an attempt to grab him.

"Woah!" Axl dodged the car-sized hand by an inch. He retaliated with a quick strafe to its wrist, the buster fire hitting the exposed circuitry, making sparks fly around it. The Gorilla Mechaniloid howled out in pain. It used the hand, now limp and unusable, as a flail, attempting to bash Axl right where he stands.

"Careful! You're going to hurt someone with that!" The reploid exclaimed as he dodged the mechaniloid's attacks. However, Axl didn't see the other fist that was aimed at him, and got sent to the other side of the room. Grunting in pain, he tried to stand, but the Gorilla Mechaniloid pounced up high, fists raised in order to hammer slam the maverick hunter into the ground. Seeing an opening, he dashed towards the mechaniloid, and successfully avoided the attack. The resulting shockwave left huge cracks on the rattled floor, and even sent a few fragments flying here and there. An idea struck Axl, and with a grin, he began formulizing his plan.

The Gorilla Mechaniloid looked around to see if the black armoured had been caught on his assault, only to find that there wasn't a trace of the maverick hunter being in the wreckage. A loud *crunch* resounded in the room, and the mechaniloid quickly swung its arm at the source, but it seemed that it never caught its intended target. The Gorilla Mechaniloid growled in frustration, confused as to why the reploid suddenly disappeared. Two shots targeted at its head had drawn the mechaniloid's attention to the buster fire's direction, and saw Axl standing with a whimsical grin. "Missed me?" He then sent another buster fire, one aimed at its eyes. The maverick charged at Axl in a blind rage, and with all its strength, punched the area where the maverick hunter stood in full force. Axl hastily moved away to avoid the hit, and next thing that happened, the Gorilla Mechaniloid's arm became embedded into the wall. It then tried to remove the stuck appendage with all its might, but no amount of effort could release the mechaniloid from its prison.

"Looks like you're in a sticky situation." Axl appeared from behind, gun aimed at the maverick. He then changed his sights to what a rack that seemed to be barely holding itself together, and fired. Several fuel tanks fell from the destroyed container, dropping around the trapped mechaniloid. Two shots later, an explosion enveloped the underground laboratory.

 **Abandoned Tower; Entrance**

Ciel and the remaining resistance soldiers all waited outside the abandoned tower. The injured ones were told to rest inside the vans. Since all of them were reploids, with the exception of Ciel, medical attention wasn't all that needed. A few repairs would put them back in one piece.

The human scientist was having second thoughts if she should go back and help the maverick hunter or not. Axl looked able enough to handle the rouge mechaniloid, but Ciel felt that it wasn't right to just go and leave someone behind. She stood there in silence for minutes, until the sound of a bomb going off, followed by a trail of black smoke emanated from the building.

"What the- how did that happen?" One of the soldiers exclaimed. They were all caught by surprise. In a panic, Ciel ran towards the entrance, who was anxious about Axl's current state, but stopped on her tracks as a soldier's gloved hand grabbed her wrist.

"Miss Ciel, don't! It's too dangerous!" The commander of the battalion said, his stoic face not wavering.

"Captain Gryphus, let me go! We have to help him!" Ciel tried to convice the resistance soldier, but he only shook his head in denial.

"I know. I also want to do the samething, and we are greatful that you are always eager to help. But please, think for your own safety for once. And besides," He pulled out something from his pocket, with a red dot blinking on it's screen. "If he's really a Maverick Hunter like Zero, then I'm sure he'll come back." The human scientist began to feel at ease when she saw the red dot on the Positioning System's screen, an indication that Axl was still alive and well. Ciel hoped that Axl was doing fine, and with as less injuries, as possible.

 **Abandoned Tower; Underground Laboratory**

Axl had difficulty seeing as the whole room was filled with black smoke due to the combustion of flammable materials. "That one sure was strong. Huh, guess this was just a piece of cake." As he began to leave, he was suddenly hit with an ominous feeling, coming from behind. Axl quickly dashed away from his footing, and the Gorilla Mechaniloid came charging, ramming its head to where the maverick hunter last stood. The mechaniloid's 'skin' was destroyed on most parts, showing off its framework, making it appear skeletal. Half of its body was completely obliterated from the explosion, but the Gorilla Mechaniloid showed no signs of giving up. Its neon green eyes have turned into a dangerous red, its state of being maverick now coming to full effect.

"Wha?! Oh come on!" Axl opened fired with the buster in his hands, trying to fire as fast as possible, but alas, the standard buster was not designed for ultra-rapid fire. The mechaniloid paid the shots no mind, and instead, desperately flailed its way to him. It began moving like a raging bull. Axl tried to shoot again, but his erratic firing methods have overworked the buster, rendering it useless. "No, not now!" He gnarred. The half-destroyed Gorilla Mechaniloid was quickly advancing, and Axl, with no means of offense, did not know what to do. "Dammit! Why must I die now? X and Zero will _not_ glad seeing me like this!" Then suddenly, a mysterious blue ball of light appeared. It hovered near the black armored reploid, and with a cute-ish voice due to it size, it spoke.

"AXL, USE THESE."

"Huh? Hey how did you-" Before he could finish his sentence, two pieces of very familiar-looking firearms was now in his hands. Axl was surprised to see again one of his most prized possessions, and he felt a wave of nostalgia just by holding its handles. "My guns!" He tried to look back at the blue ball of light, only for it to be leaving.

"GO, AXL, COMPLETE YOUR MISSION!" And the ball of light disappeared. Axl smirked, twirling his handguns with his fingers, then trained his sights on the approaching maverick.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Axl began firing burst after burst, round after round of his specialized ammunition, dubbed the 'Axl Bullets'. Every part of the Gorilla Mechaniloid seem to tear up to shreds as the gun fire hits home. Axl did not stop his continous assault, and the maverick was beginning to slow down. After a few shots to the head, the Gorilla Mechaniloid spontaneously exploded, signaling its defeat. With a final twirl of his guns, Axl blew off the smoke from the barrel, then placed it back to his holsters. "Mission Accomplished!" The maverick hunter said victoriously, then headed his way towards the exit. As soon as Axl began to run, falling debris came raining down on each step, and the reploid began to pick up his pace. He got out of the building with a jump, and a large explosiom rattled it, and the fragments of it's ceiling blocked the entrance.

"Axl!" Ciel ran to his side, checking for any injuries. "Are you okay?" Axl stood up, some cracks and burn marks decorating his armor.

"Yeah, I'm good." He looked at all the resistance soldiers standing by at the parked trucks. "How are the other's?"

"So far the amounted casualties were eight dead, and nineteen injured. The rest were fine." Captain Gryphus spoke, saluting to him. "One question, though. Are you really a Maverick Hunter?"

"You bet I am!" Axl gave a cocky grin, then had a sudden change in mood, becoming a bit more serious. "Now that you mention it, I don't seem to pick up any satellites that belong to HQ."

"Well... how about we take you to the resistance base first? Then we'll inform you of anything there." Ciel suggested. Axl appeared to be in deep thought for a while, then nodded in agreement.

"Sure! Let's get going then."

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! There will be OCs in this fic, mainly side characters like resistance soldiers, and maverick bosses. Most of them are just to give some background to the story, as simply naming them like, let's say 'Soldier 1' and 'Soldier 2' might make some things dull. You also may have noticed that the battle wasn't a curbstomp on our hero's part. Let's just say that his skill will be based on your average megaman player, for now. :D Criticism is welcome, as usual.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman. Capcom Does.**

 **Megaman AXL**

 **Chapter 04**

 **Resistance Base, Heaquarters**

It was practically a normal day at headquarters. Most of them were excited of the caravan's return, due to the possibility of Zero being alongside them. There was a niche group that didn't believe Zero was possibly alive by this point in time, but are willing to welcome him with open arms if the red reploid were to make a comeback.

Neige walked around the base's hallways. Technically, the red haired former reporter of Neo Arcadia was not part of the Resistance, but the members welcomed her. She was mainly responsible for leading the human caravan to escape Dr. Weil's tyranny many years ago. Neige, along with many others, were anticipating the expedition's arrival. It was all a wonder the day she saw Ragnarok fell from the sky, burning due to the friction of the air as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. All of them that witnessed the event knew Zero was there, along with the bright falling debris, and hoped, or at least, thought if the Maverick Hunter ever survived. Sighing, she went to one of the base's balconies, waiting for Ciel and the others to arrive. Hearing footsteps, the red haired girl turned her head, seeing Cerveau walking up to her.

"ETA is twelve minutes, I believe. Giga City sure is a far place." The green uniformed scientist spoke. Neige shrugged.

"I once read that it was an artificial island that was supposed to mine Force Metal and its uses and properties. In a way, it was also used to accommodate the ever-growing human population back then, by transferring Reploids to that place. Kind of reminds me of Neo Arcadia itself, only being in the middle of a now dried-up ocean." She chuckled to herself. A lot have changed the Earth over time, but it felt like the blue planet was always the same.

"Well, I'll be going to my lab. Someone's got to fix some things for our homecoming hero, wouldn't he?" Cerveau said before leaving the area. Neige knew that even the reploid engineer was not sure of Zero's arrival. In fact, everyone in the base is uncertain. Peace have reigned now that Dr. Weil was gone, so the need of a hero was not that of a concern. Maybe because people felt safe when a protector watches over them? Or maybe they just wanted to have someone who's willing to die for them, so that they could have a good night's sleep? Those did not matter as of now. What was important was what, or _who_ the expedition brought with them, and how will this affect the Resistance entirely.

 **Resistance Caravan**

Axl sat at near a window, looking at the rather dry scenery outside of the van he was in. One thing that irked him was that the whole place looked as if civilization ceased to exist in the area. Last time he remembered, the whole world was on the verge of overpopulation. Every city was packed with people, humans and reploids alike, so seeing something so lifeless surprised him.

"Some things are not what they once used to be." Ciel said, seated near him.

"What happened? It felt like everyone just packed up and left." The pink clad scientist lowered her head.

"Well, there have been events that changed the world, while you were… away." Axl cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Events? Another Maverick War?" Ciel tilted her head, then nodded slightly.

"Um, kind of. Though the Sigma Virus wasn't responsible for that, one way or another." She heard the Reploid laugh, and it was Ciel's turn to be curious.

"Oh, sorry. The name takes me back a lot of memories. Heck, I swear Zero would throw a tantrum if Sigma ever showed up after defeating him for like, the 8th time already." Ciel's eyes widened at what Axl said, surprised.

"You knew Zero?" She asked. Axl chuckled again.

"More like my comrade-slash-superior. It was because of him that I eventually joined the Maverick Hunters. About that, do you have any contact with Hunter Base? I can't seem to have any communications with them, and it's making me a bit anxious." Axl blinked when she saw Ciel become down all of a sudden. He honestly didn't know how to comfort someone. It was X's job!

"Is there something wrong with what I said?" The black Reploid asked. The blonde slowly faced him, worry etched on her features.

"Maverick Hunter Headquarters… is gone. It's been out of service for a long time now. Sorry for keeping this from you." Ciel looked at Axl. Her heart was still a bit heavy, due to the mixed emotions she was having. She could see Axl, sitting idly at his seat, shock evident on his face.

"Y-You're… you're kidding right? That sure got me!" The Maverick Hunter tried to shake any thoughts that made him feel miserable, but he knew that there was truth in the human's words. Just what happened to them?

"No, I'm serious." Ciel shook her head in denial. "We've found you in a hibernation capsule, Axl. Tell me, what century do you think we are in?"

Axl went into a thinking pose, before finally answering. "Um… the twenty second?" The scientist shook her head yet again.

"I'm afraid not. We're in the twenty third century. This is the present time, I believe." The black reploid scratched his head, having difficulty processing the information he was currently receiving.

"I still can't get a grip on it. That's kind of far-fetched if you ask me. Though looking outside," Axl looked out the window again, staring at the barren terrain. "It all makes sense."

"So… how did you become 'one of the best' as you like call it?" Ciel asked in what seemed to be a desperate attempt at changing the topic. Axl beamed in an instant, his cockiness returning.

"Well, glad you asked! Miss…" The Maverick Hunter trailed off, nor knowing the girl's name. Ciel giggled at that.

"It's Ciel."

"Oh, uh, right! Glad you asked Miss Ciel!" Axl scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well you see, before I even joined the Maverick Hunters, I had past experiences in hunting mavericks down.

"I was part of a vigilante group called Red Alert. It used to be a top-secret thing, though I think there's no reason to hide secrets now. I was one of their best members, just next to the commander. Let's just say that a lot has happened, and Zero and I eventually meet at a highway." The black reploid still had some difficulty remembering some events of the past. Partially due to the effects of hyper sleep, and others are just things that he wanted to be kept forgotten.

"After showcasing my skills and accepting some missions, I finally became an official Maverick Hunter. I was personally appointed by Commander Signas to be under X and Zero's team. You could say we were the top three hunters at HQ, always taking down maverick after maverick. I had a few run-ins with Sigma in the past; two, actually. It's definitely safe to say the guy's insane to the core. And then there was…" Axl tried to remember a certain New Generation Reploid's name. It was on the edge of his tongue, but he can't seem to say it.

"And there was?" Ciel thought aloud. Axl shooked his head, clearing the thought.

"Ah, just some past enemy that I couldn't seem to get my finger on. Anyways, How's X and Zero? It would be gret if I get to talk with those two." Ciel's face faltered at the mention at the two deceased(?) Maverick Hunters. Axl noted her change in expression, and furrowed his brows in worry.

"Hey, don't tell me… they too are?" The scientist nodded her head.

"Yes, the two of them are gone also." Ciel the summarily told Axl about X governing Neo Arcadia, its creation and purposes, the Mother Elf, the Cyber Elves in general, the Dark Elf, X attempt to seal the Dark Elf with his own body, the Four Guardians, Copy X, the Discovery of Zero, all the help the red reploid contributed, Dr. Weil, Omega, Ragnarok and its crash, then finally, Zero's assumed death. Axl had difficulty taking in the new info again.

"This… this is all hard to take in at once. I mean, it's all crazy!" The black reploid rested his head on his hands. Ciel sighed, leaning back to her chair.

"I know this is hard for you to accept, Axl, but please, try to think things rationally." She tried to reason with him, and with some difficulty, Axl complied.

"Well, I'll try. Still far-fetched, though." The Maverick Hunter surveyed the outside of his surroundings again. He noticed that they were approaching several houses and buildings that were either built or in the process of being one.

"So what does the Resistance Base look like?" Axl wondered aloud. Unknowingly, Ciel gave him a smile.

"You'll see when we get there."

 **Resistance Base, Headquarters**

The sound of vehicles approaching caught the attention of the awaiting Resistance members situated near the entrance. On one van came out the soldiers that carried out most of the expedition's functions. Most of them were wounded; some were fatal, others not so much. The second van contained the ones who were hanging on to dear life, barely trying to contain their consciousness. A group of Resistance members then went to the van, carrying stretchers. One by one, they carried all the badly injured soldiers to the medical wards. Then finally, on the third van, Ciel walked out. The people waiting held their breath at what the human scientist was about to announce. She first had a sullen expression on her face before facing them bravely, clearing her throat.

"I am sad to say that Zero has not been found at the source of the signal." Chatter began to erupt from the audience, talking to themselves of the bad news.

"See? I told you he's gone for good." One reploid said.

"Who'll be protecting us now?" Another muttered worridly. The sounds began to pick up as its audacity was growing.

"Heh, looks like that operation was a waste of manpower."

"We could have used the resources for our needs!"

The crowd was now roaring about, protesting about the failed expedition. The Resistance soldiers quickly made a perimeter around Ciel. She quickly thought of something to put them at ease, then an idea struck her.

"Though it was a failure, there was someone else that we found. A Maverick Hunter." This caused most of the noise to quiet down. Several footsteps clanging against the metal flooring was heard. A black armored reploid with a grey body suit underneath arrived at the scene. What catched their attention most was the 'X'-shaped scar on his face. The reploid looked young to them in comparison, but they could see in his eyes that he's been through more than what they initially thought.

"Woah, guy looks like a veteran." Said a Resistance soldier in awe. His partner beside him only shook his head.

"I hope he isn't another 'Elpizo'. We've got enough problems in our hands."

Ciel then looked at the crowd, now muttering to themselves. "There will be some things that the Maverick Hunter would like to discuss with us, so please, let us settle down for now." One by one, the people began leaving. Most of them are saddened, but are wondering who the black reploid was. Some were dissapointed by the results, and the others pretty much just accepted the whole ordeal.

"Let's go, Axl." Ciel motioned for him to follow. As they entered the base, Axl felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. The atmosphere that encompassed the headquarters had made the Maverick Hunter feel right at home. A blonde reploid girl holding a stuffed toy cat approached the two.

"How did the expedition go?" Allouette asked about the failed operation. Of course, she did not caught wind of the news, as she was busy being with her cyber elves. She sighted Axl, who was still looking at his surroundings, probably familiarizing himself with the place.

"Oh. It... did not proceed as we have fully expected." Ciel replied, though keeping a straight face to prevent the girl from worrying. The pink clad scientist trailed Allouette's gaze, which pointed to the black reploid. Sooner, Axl turned his head, noticing the little blonde girl for the first time, and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry for ignoring you back there. The name's Axl, Maverick Hunter at your service." His smile turned into a cocky grin, self-proclaimed badass mode turning on.

"N-Nice to meet you, Mister Axl. I'm Allouette." She stuttered, not really used to being around strangers. Allouette noticed that Zero wasn't with them, and felt a tinge of sadness at the red reploid's absence. Ciel patted her head, trying to console the girl. Allouette was like a daughter to Ciel, being the one to raise the reploid child.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that wherever he is, Zero is fine." Allouette lit up a bit at the scientist's comforting gesture. Axl had been silent throughout the interaction, something that is very rare to see.

"Okay." The blond girl nodded. "I'll go back to my room. I still need to tend to the Cyber Elves." She looked at Axl, and blushed slightly. "Um, bye, Mister Axl." Allouette ran off to the direction of her quarters, slightly embarrassed. Axl scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward.

"What a strange girl." Ciel giggled, hearing that.

"Well, she's a shy one, I'll give you that. Allouette will eventually open up once you get to know her more."

"Really? Kind of reminds me of someone..." An image of a blue clad angelic-looking female reploid nurse with blonde hair suddenly came to his mind. The girl seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't remember her name.

"Oh? Care to share who this person is?" Ciel asked the black reploid.

"I don't remember, actually. I know some things and recognize them like the back of my hand, but a large portion of my memories are blurry at best." As they passed by one of the base's elevators, a certain red haired girl went to greet them.

"Hey, Ciel. It didn't go the way people have hoped, huh?" Said Neige. Ciel gave her a small, sad smile.

"Yes, Neige. The casualty count didn't help, either." The redhead noticed Axl, and walked closer to him. The scar on the reploid's face was the one that made Neige got intrigued about.

"So this is the Maverick Hunter?" Neige observed Axl, taking note of his appearance. The structure of his titanium alloy armor suggested that he came somewhere from the twenty second century. The orb on his 'A' shaped helmet flashed momentarily, though the former reporter didn't seem to notice.

"Ah, I almost forgot. This is Axl, by the way." Ciel said, motioning to the reploid. Axl gave Neige a toothy grin.

"Hey there! Nice to meet you!" Said the Maverick Hunter. Neige gave a smile in return.

"Glad that you're an enthusiastic one. That kind of attitude is rare in this broken down world." Axl raised his brows, hearing that, but went away once he remembered about the events that Ciel told him back at the van. However, he never let his mood drop, and instead had a determined look.

"Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'm always here to help. X and Zero did their part, and now, it's my turn to do the job."

"I hope you keep your word then, Axl. Most good people tend to be the ones to go down first." Neige suddenly remembered Craft for some reason, but immediately waved off the thought. "Anyways, I'll be going now. I still need to check if all the fuss back at Area Zero calmed down."

"Okay then. Take care." Ciel bid her farewell, and with that, she left. The scientist turned to Axl, and lead him to a laboratory. Upon arriving, they saw Cerveau, who was fiddling with a prototype of a new buster model to replace the current one the Resistance soldiers were using. Unlike the outdated one, it had increased firepower, less kick back, and higher rate of fire. Axl whistled, clearly impressed at the weapon maker's work.

"That's a fine one right there. My A-Guns are still top notch, but that's better than a standard buster." Ciel held a small frown, thinking that it was a kind of insult, but seeing Cerveau pay no mind to it said otherwise.

"I admit that this weapon still needs more tweaking, but it's the best we got. On another note, may I see these 'A-Guns'?" Axl let out a 'sure' before giving his pair of handguns to the reploid scientist. Cerveau made a nod of appreciation examining it.

"Hmm, the design is outdated." He said, making the black reploid groan a bit. "However, it has surprixttsingly good specifications considering its age." He placed it on a working table, then a holographic panel shone, revealing the weapon's various info.

"The gun's barrel is structured to handle very high rate of fire, as well a few sinks to release the heat. It's trigger is soft as to accomodate the firing style of the user." Cerveau pressed a button on the console, new details about Axl's handgun showing on screen.

"It also has quite the special ammunition. These 'Axl Bullets' are weak singularly, but strong when fired in a concentrated manner. There's another special bullet, though my analyzer doesn't seem to read the required data." The weapons maker tapped his chin in wonder. An occurrence like this was very rare, and these kind of reading errors only appeared when he once analyzed Zero's Z-Saber. Could it be that the same circumstances applied to the black reploid?

"Well, that 'special bullet' is something that I'd like to keep for now. Don't want to spoil everything, do we?" Axl grabbed his firearm as Cerveau lent it back to him. With a spin of his gun, he holstered it in a quick manner.

"I could safely say that that gun is top-notch indeed. I am Cerveau, the Resistance's engineer and weapons scientist." He offered a hand to shake. "I take it that your choice of weaponry are firearms?"

Axl took the hand and shook it, then broke the greeting. "The name's Axl. And yeah, I put more stock in ranged weapons. Zero's the one who prefers melee fighting." The engineer tapped his foot, seemingly in deep thought.

"Come to think if it, any news on Zero?" Cerveau asked Ciel, who shook her head in return, enough for the reploid scientist to get the message. "I see..." He muttered under his breath. "I sincerely hope he gets his peace; he's been fighting for too long. Sorry if we placed that burden on you, Axl." He said, turning to the Maverick hunter. Axl didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that he now works for the Resistance, and only gave a shrug.

"It's no problem, really. The only thing I knew back then was fighting, fighting and hunting down mavericks, _real_ mavericks." He said, putting emphasis on 'real'. The line between Reploid and Maverick was already blurry by their present standards. In the past, mavericks were reploids who got infected by the Sigma Virus and went amok; but now they label _everyone_ as a maverick when they try to express being independent and free.

"I wasn't given a real purpose until I joined the Maverick Hunters. While I have a certain like for combat, being a hunter isn't always about tracking down and retiring mavericks. X wanted to do it in a peaceful way, and was always the pacifistic one. Zero was the efficient one, doing his missions quickly and effectively. Me? I was just the tag-along kid. I won't let that stop me though, how am I going to be the best if I let something like that bog me down?" Axl felt a hand grab his shoulder, which turned out to be Ciel, softly smiling at him.

"All of us are here to assist you, Axl. Remember, we are a team here." Cerveau nodded in agreement. The Maverick Hunter had a smile of his own, glad that he was well recieved here.

 **Somewhere**

"So, anything good to report?" A shadowy figure spoke in a calm voice. They were in a dark room that hid the presence of whoever was there.

"There's a rumor about a 'Maverick Hunter' being present at the Resistance. Said to have worked alongside X _and_ Zero. Such arrogance." The other figure spat the last word.

"Calm down. I thought the 'third hunter' was nothing more than a fraud of a legend. I guess his sudden emergence proved me wrong." This had caught the other figure's attention.

"What are you trying to say?" He asked the silhouette. The figure was still hidden in the shadows, but his twisted, maniacal grin could be seen.

"It means that something _interesting_ is coming up."

 **Author's Note: Hello there, guys n' gals. Sorry this took so long. The chapter may have turned out to be boring due to it being mostly exposition. I apologize for any inconsistencies with the introduction of the characters. Updates may get... slow due to real life and stuff, and again, sorry. Criticism is welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman. Capcom does.**

 **Megaman AXL**

 **Chapter 05**

 **Resistance Headquarters, VR Training Room**

Axl dive rolled to the side as he shot what appears to be his fifty sixth target in his current training simulation. Darting his eyes around the room, the Maverick Hunter tilted his head to the left as a stray buster fire whizzed past him, narrowly dodging the concentrated shot of energy. In a quick sleight of hand, Axl raised his handgun and pulled the trigger in rapid successions, sending a rain of bullets to the maverick, before disappearing into a static hologram, vanishing completely.

"So how's the kill count?" Axl asked aloud. Cerveau, who was behind a sturdy damage-proof glass, looked at one of the many screens before him.

"Hmm, your skill is way above the average soldier we have here in terms of eliminating enemies, but it looks like Zero still takes the cake." This made the Black Reploid gape in disbelief.

"What? How much?" Cerveau then pressed a button on the console, showing the recorded history of training sessions done by the red hunter.

"According to one of the records, Zero has exterminated five hundred emulated mavericks in one session alone, and it seems that this isn't just the extent of his performance." The Reploid Scientist said as he scrolled to a multitude of other records that had a better score than the previously mentioned one.

"You've got to be kidding, right?" Axl didn't want to believe it, but he knew that was true. Zero, aside from X, was one of the first Reploids built before there was even one, and it did not help what the saber-wielding Maverick Hunter's original _purpose_ was before he even awoke at the time. But really, five hundred? And there were even higher ones than that?

Did Zero become the God of Destruction or something?

"If that's the case, then I'll be training more!" Axl exclaimed, giving his handgun a spin. Ciel suddenly entered the room, yawning a bit. Having come back from long hours of work, the female scientist decided to pay the trigger-happy reploid a visit. She gave Axl a small smile at his resolve to become stronger.

"You should have some rest, Axl. You've been going like that for a week already." A day after their arrival from the search and rescue op, the black reploid had been insisting to use the Virtual Reality training to further improve his skills. Axl, as he would put it himself, 'was getting a bit rusty', as shown with his fight against the Gorilla Mechaniloid.

"Says the one who overexerts herself at work. _You're_ the one who should have some rest." Said the Maverick Hunter back. Ciel blushed a bit, feeling awkward, before shaking it off.

"I guess you're right. I'll be visiting the nearby settlement, then." Turning a heel, the scientist began to leave, until Axl called out.

"Wait! I'll go with you. I kind of wanted to explore some things outside too." The reploid went to her side, getting ready to leave the VR training room. Cerveau stood up from his seat, and moved away from the control panel.

"I'll be leaving you two to your own devices then. I have some few things to work on my laboratory, mainly improving our equipment. Come visit me when you need anything in regards to your weapon, Axl." Suggested the green-clad Engineer.

"Sure." Replied Axl as he watched Cerveau exiting through the sliding metal doors.

"He sure is a hard working person." Axl thought aloud, the two walking out of the training room themselves.

"Everyone here is hard working, Axl. We help one another in order to sustain the needs of the people." Ciel stated. While the Resistance was originally formed to fight against Copy X's, and later on Weil's tyranny, they were doing their best to maintain the peace amongst the two races; humans and reploids. Of course, the members thought they will halt all operations after Weil is gone and Neo Arcadia is finally freed, but it looks like peace is still a long way through.

"Everyone, even Hibou?" The Maverick Hunter joked. He met the fat, hungry Resistance member days ago asking for his E-Crystals. Being new to this future's concept, Axl didn't have a lick of thought what an 'E-Crystal' was, and he sure got a lecture from the obese reploid. Ciel giggled a bit in understanding.

"Yes, Axl. Even Hibou. He did say he's working hard now, and having a diet too." Exiting the base, the two walked to the nearby settlement area. Several makeshift houses made out of cargo containers and some tents can be seen from afar, some of them undergoing construction. Neo Arcadia had some of the better homes, and Area Zero's population was somewhat increasing, so they had to find a new place to live in. There were some children playing tag, and there's also some Resistance soldiers having a talk with some of the human settlers. Humans and reploids were getting along well, though there were still some bad blood in between.

"It feels so serene here." Axl commented at his surroundings. The kids laughing, having nothing to worry about in the world, the people conversing good-naturedly, and the peaceful atmosphere. It felt like all those wars of the past have been long forgotten. The black-armored reploid smiled. Back then, he could remember how alert Maverick Hunter HQ is in looking for any sudden maverick attacks. There was always the suspicion that Sigma was behind it all. Some may call it paranoia, but him coming back alive for eight consecutive times, with that same shit-eating grin every time he expects you in a faraway boss chamber?

That tends to put everyone that encountered him on their toes.

"I know. I wish it will always be like this. I hate to see people fight each other when you know there's a chance for them to get along." Ciel said with a small frown. She always wanted to settle things in a peaceful way, but she knows it's hard to fight when you don't know how to bite back.

"Well, we can wish as much want, but... it's always uncertain whether it will come true or not." Came the voice from a nearby reploid soldier, guarding the settlement near an outpost. The Resistace Soldier generically looked like the others; the green unform, standard-issue buster, and his overall looks. However, there was a shine of recognition in Axl's eyes.

"Hey, you're that soldier back there. Gryphus, was it?" The Reploid now known as Gyrphus gave a salute.

"Yes, I am, sir!"

"Uh, you could drop the sir, makes me feel Signas-old." Axl rubbed the back of his helmet sheepishly. He got a feeling the Resistance didn't hear him the first time, but left it at that. "Anyhow, did you find any trouble lately?"

"None, sir. As a matter of fact, there hasn't been an incident concerning mavericks ever since the crash. Well, except that one mechaniloid at the tower, which we didn't expect, I may add." Gryphus explained, all the while shaking his head. He did not blame the Maverick Hunter for what happened, since it clearly wasn't Axl's fault, but the surprise assault and the Black Reploid's discovery was too well timed to be a coincidence. The Resistance Soldier erased the thought. There was no harm in being too careful, but he needed to slowly think things through.

"Can you accompany us to town, Gyrphus?" Ciel spoke in. The scientist could feel how uncomfortable the atmosphere became as they delved into the subject concerning the

incident during the expedition, giving her more reason to derail the conversation.

"Roger, Miss Ciel. This way, please." Affirmed Gryphus with a salute, before motioning for the two to follow.

 **Settlement, Outskirts**

The group of three strolled through the sun-dried road, passing people along the way. Children playing tag along the crusty pavement noticed the three, and went to greet them.

"Miss Ciel!" Said a little girl, running to the blonde to hug her, although she wasn't the only one to garner attention.

"Look, its the Maverick Hunter!" A boy pointed a finger at Axl. Since last week the trigger-happy Reploid was getting a bit popular amongst the people due to him being a close companion to Zero, which, since Axl was a Hunter, he must be as strong as the red one, right? Or at least, that's what the people seem to think. That didn't mean the road to skepticism was closed, either. Some believed it to be nothing more than a baseless rumor, or even worse, a blatant lie formulated by the Maverick Hunter himself.

"You should know that the kids have quite the liking to you, sir." Gryphus said with a smile. The young boys and girls all gathered around Axl, who found it a bit awkward, considering that the Black-armored Reploid wasn't good with kids, as far as he knew.

Vanishing Gungaroo _might_ have been an exception, though.

"Wow, you look cool, mister!" A girl about the age of six said in awe. Behind the girl was a boy of five looking at the Reploid with big, curious eyes.

"Woah, are you strong?" Asked the kid. Knowing Axl, the answer was pretty obvious and straightforward.

"Heh, you bet I am! Want to see a cool trick I can do?" The children nodded in curiosity at what the Maverick Hunter was about to do. Getting his two handguns, Axl began juggling the firearms, safety on of course, while twirling them with his index fingers via the trigger housing. It wasn't really that much of a spectacle, but it sure appealed to the kids.

"Mister Axl! Can you teach me?"

"I want to learn that trick too!"

"Hey, I asked him first!"

The young audience turned from watching peacefully to arguing loudly, making Axl's eye twitch in confusion. Gryphus was amused, to say the least.

"Way to go being a good example of a great role model, sir." The trigger-happy Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, Gryph."

"Alright, kids, that's all for today." Ciel said as she took care of the situation, successfully defusing the argument. With some hesitation, the children left the area, though in slightly high spirits due to the 'awesome cool trick' Axl showed them.

"You're clearly better at handling them, Ciel." Axl commented, putting the guns back in their respective compartments. The scientist smiled at that.

"Taking care of Allouette taught me a lot of things, Axl, and being a parent was one of them." The three kept walking in silence for a while, until a Resistance Soldier ran up to them in a panic, judging by the way he looked alarmed.

"Captain Gryphus! There's something I have to tell you!" The Resistance member said, saluting upon arrival. Gryphus raised a hand, signalling for the other to calm down.

"At ease, Vern. What is it? Is there something wrong?" He asked the soldier, now known as Vern, who became gloomy as he was about to deliver the news.

"Sir, the team… they're gone, without a trace. We've been trying to re-establish communications, but none of them seem to respond!" Gryphus frowned, recognizing the familiarity of the problem, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process.

"Damn, that's the third time already." Axl's curiosity was caught, hearing that.

"The third time?" Gryphus nodded to Axl in confirmation.

"That's right. We've been sending a team to recover supplies from an old, abandoned warehouse. We only discovered that location recently, just five days from now, and attempts to recover something from that warehouse had been... difficult, judging by not only one, but three squads disappearing without evidence of them even being there in the first place. To be honest, it's making me weary just thinking of the possible reasons for their disappearnces."

"Could it be an ambush planned out by mavericks?" Axl suggested. The Resistance

captain cupped his chin in thought.

"We've definitely considered the possibility of maverick activity in that area, but it didn't really hold much water, considering the three, long and peaceful years we've had. Well that, and we've been labeled as mavericks by Copy X himself long before those three years, so it's kind of hard to tell back then what a 'real' maverick was, due to the warping of information." Gryphus explained to the black and gray Hunter.

"Ahaha, sorry for that." Axl gave a nervous chuckle as he apologized, but Gryphus was quick to dismiss.

"Don't be, sir. Besides, this may be the real deal. We're unsure what, or rather, whoever resides in there. This is kind of too much to ask, but-"

"I'll go." Announced the Maverick Hunter. Cue wide-eyed looks from Ciel, Gryphus, and Vern.

"Are you serious? For all we know it could be a high-risk threat!" Exclaimed Vern, however, Axl only gave a smirk in response.

"Trust me, I've been through better and worse, and besides, it's time to test what I've learned back in the VR." Said the black-armored reploid in confidence. Ciel shook a head at this, though a hopeful look was on her face as she turned to him.

"We trust you in this, Axl, but still, try to be safe. There's being brave, and there's being reckless." Gryphus and Vern nodded in agreement. Axl knew that going in with guns a'blazing with nary a clue of what he was about to face was a secure way to get your ass kicked by an opponent, but hey, it worked at times, right?

"Don't worry, I'll finish it before it even has the chance to strike back." Axl then began to head his way towards the location, before realizing that he had no idea how to get there. "So... where's the transport?" Axl rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"There's a Trans Server at the heart of the settlement, which is mainly used for quick transport from the base to here, and vice versa." Vern spoke out in compliance, hearing the Maverick Hunter. With a smile, Axl patted the Resistance member on the back for a job well done, before instructing Vern with an order.

"Okay then. Lead the way!"

 **Settlement, Central Area**

As they began to approach the heart of the settlement, the soldiers standing guard

at the makeshift building; about four of them, each gave the group of three a salute as a sign of welcoming. Entering the room that lead to the Trans Server, Ciel identified a familiar face; a female reploid with red hair and a visor fiddling with the server's console with her left hand, and the other firmly placed on a headset. Feeling the gaze that the scientist was giving her, the operator looked up, a serious expression accompanying her look.

"Oh, it's you, Miss Ciel." The Server Operator gave Ciel a welcoming nod.

"It's a pleasure, Rouge." The blonde nodded back. The other three then entered the server room, starting with Axl, then Gyrphus, and last, Vern. The Maverick Hunter was curious as to what the red-haired operator was listening to, and turning some dials as if to get the reception right. Then all of a sudden, a series of beeps rang from the console, catching the attention if everyone within the room.

 _*beep-beep-beep*_

 _*beep*_

 _*beep*_

 _*beep*_

 _*beep-beep-beep*_

"Was that..." Vern trailed off, knowing what the beeps meant. Rouge gave a nod.

"That's right. Earlier today I've spotted weak transmissions from their place of disappearance. Turned out to be an SOS signal. According to its time of arrival, it was sent not too long ago, just right after they seemingly vanished." Axl stepped forward, clenching his hands.

"Send me in. I'll go and check the area." The Maverick Hunter understood the need for someone to go there and look. All of the people within the room knew that someone of Zero's calibre was necessary for the mission, and while not exactly on the Red Reploid's level, Axl was always up for the job, even without being told.

"Okay, sir. Please step in within the Trans Server. All other personnel, please stand back." The four of them followed the order; Axl standing by right in the middle of the server's transportation circle, while Ciel, Vern, and Gryphus stood away from the teleportation device as possible, to avoid being caught along. With a thumbs up from the Black Reploid, Rouge started the system and calibrated the coordinates to the location. Faint strobes of light began to surround the area where Axl stood, glowing brighter by each second that passed. The red-haired operator then raised three fingers to signal the countdown.

"Beginning transfer sequence in three…"

"…two…"

"…one…"

"Transfer!" And as if on cue, the Maverick Hunter vanished with a bright flash, leaving the four.

"Axl… please be careful." Ciel muttered, her expression formed into one of worry.

 **Abandoned Warehouse, Unknown Location**

A purple beam from above landed on the concrete ground, and with it was Axl, who landed with a kneeling stance. Standing up, the earpiece in his helmet began to ring. The Black Reploid held two fingers to where the device was.

 _["Axl, can you hear me?"]_ He instantly lit up, hearing the voice from the earpiece.

"Palette? Is that you?"

 _["Huh? No, it's me Rouge."]_ Axl's gave a small 'oh,' though his mood didn't drop even the slightest. _["We will be giving you radio support from here. Ask me anything if you need help."]_

"Don't worry, I'll be able to finish this quick. I could probably use the extra help, though." Replied The Maverick Hunter, his cockiness resurfacing, which was a good thing, for him at least, since his confidence in completing the mission rose along with it.

 _["… Sure you will, sir. Still, be careful. Over."]_ Then with a small moment of static, the connection was cut off. Axl then began to go his way, all the while looking around the interior of the warehouse. It was old, but not ancient, as the structure of the building resembled that of twenty-third century architecture. A crunch was heard nearby, making the Black Reploid quickly took his handgun from its holster, pointing to the direction of the sound.

"Who's there? Show yourself." Axl said sternly, eyes searching for anything that was about to move. A buster shot almost grazed his face as it whizzed past him, coming from a dim, dark corridor, before sending back with a barrage of his own, killing the offender as an explosion rang from the source. As the pyrotechnics faded, several humanoid Reploids armed with upgraded busters appeared, aiming their firearms at the Maverick Hunter in a surprisingly coordinated fashion.

"Are those… Sniper Joes?" Axl muttered to himself seeing the combat robots. They certainly looked like the aforementioned Joes, though their appearance closely resembled that of the Pantheon, with their blue and yellow color scheme and one red eye. The Pantheons sprayed bullets to where he stood in a horizontal widespread formation, covering a rather large berth.

Seeing no place to dive roll to, Axl revealed the wing-like white gliders on his back, and with the help of the advanced propulsion system of his foot parts, the Reploid gunman glided over the breeze of energized gunfire, before raining down a hail of his own Axl Bullets, obliterating any enemy within its trajectory. A few have survived, training their sights on the hunter, but before they could even return fire, Axl quickly beat them to it, blasting each of them with a well-placed shot to the head, exploding

"Heh, piece of cake." Axl blew the heat off the barrel of his gun, before simply holding it in his gloved hand, just in case another batch of enemies suddenly spring out from nowhere. Seeing a sliding steel door, the Black Reploid entered to investigate, only to find large freight containers and metallic crates.

One of the containers in particular caught his attention, having a large hole roughly resembling a circle, with some edged parts sticking outward; meaning, whatever that blasted it open had come from the inside. Walking towards the storage device to investigate the object, Axl placed a hand on the area near the hole, noticing that while the rest of the container's surface was lightly cold, the point of contact between his hand and the metal felt strangely warm.

"Looks like this was shot with an explosive not too long ago." The hunter muttered, pondering to what could've actually done the damage, whether it be something like a grenade or a more direct one like a rocket, though seeing no scorch marks around the bottom within the freight container had made the latter more plausible; the former would've bounced off the surface and return to the one that threw it, which could yield some _painfully unneeded_ results. The container itself was huge enough to store seven ride armors and have enough left space for other things to completely fill it up, so whatever was inside it could be something equally big, or at least, that's what Axl's reasoning was telling him.

Something in his gut, or early warning systems if we were to get technical, told him that _someone_ was closing in. Turning his head around to look, Axl raised his handgun in an instant as he saw a small group of armed reploids that wore what vaguely resembled the Resistance's uniform, which was covered with soot and parts where the cloth was tattered, who also aimed their sights at the Maverick Hunter. The two parties slowly lowered their firearms as they recognized each other. One of the armed reploids gave a thankful sigh of relief, glad to see the gunman.

"I almost thought our distress signal missed to alarm the nearest Resistance station, but thankfully, it worked." The reploids, which turned out be the missing Resistance members, cheered around their Commanding Officer at the successful outcome. All in all, there were twelve of them present. Axl didn't know why, but he had the feeling of something, or rather _someone_ being missing.

"So, are you the ones that were sent here to retrieve supplies? Pretty small to form teams of three if you ask me." The mood of the lost Resistance members took a sudden about face, though it wasn't directed at him.

"Ah, yes we are, sir. I am Pegeon, Commanding Officer for the teams, or at least, what was left of us." The commander now known as Pegeon gave a salute. "About that... there has been a-" A single buster fire suddenly hit the Pegeon's arm, face instantly contorting into one of pain. Three squads of Pantheons began appearing from random spots, encircling Axl and the group. "Shit! Open fire!" The soldiers quickly followed, sending bursts of concentrated energy to their foes. They managed to score a few hits, but the Pantheons were persistent to let hemselves fall, with even one who had its body from the torso down completely obliterated still firing with its gun, their sole purposes to simply eliminate their targets without much of a question.

"Go get some cover, I'll handle this!" Axl ordered the Resistence soldiers, who immediately began to look for something that could protect them from the oncoming buster shots. One of the soldiers tried to fight back, but was only greeted with shots to the chest and face from a nearby Pantheon. Axl fired his handgun at the assailant, easily disposing the target.

"Dammit!" The Maverick Hunter did not like the situation that they were in, and one of the few remaining survivors died, and he did not want another one to get taken out. Pulling another handgun, Axl aimed his two firearms at the oncoming Pantheons, then sent a full on barrage of bullets to them. The initial wave exploded as they took too much damage, but another one from behind replaced them, two squads of Pantheons remaining.

"Fire! Fire! Don't leave a single one of them!" The Resistance soldiers who were behind cover began unloading their clips, successfully eliminating most of the hostile forces that still stood. "Thanks!" Axl called out appreciatively, sending a few more of his own shots at the Pantheons, completely wiping out their enemies.

"Phew, at least that's done. How's the two?" Axl looked around for the Resistance soldiers that got injured throughout the ordeal. The Commanding Officer had his arm almost destroyed, but was otherwise fine. The other one, though, wasn't any more lucky. A part of his face was blown of completely, and his chest had a hole exposing the fried circuits that continued to flicker and spark due to damage.

"I'm fine sir." Pegeon said, giving a sigh. "I'm afraid I can't say the same for Drent, though." The badly injured reploid, whose name was Drent, lied there lifeless, the remaining electricity within the exposed circuits slowly dying down. Axl only lowered his head in silent condolence, before bringing his attention back to the commander.

"Did the same thing happened earlier?" The Black Reploid asked. Pegeon shook his head.

"No, sir. Something entirely different attacked us." The leader of the Recovery team said, grabbing the side of his head before continuing. "That horror... it was too strong for us to battle it. I can't even describe how that _monster of a mechaniloid_ managed to wipe out a third of our forces in just one strike." The atmosphere became more desolate as the mention of the strange mechaniloid that attacked the surviving members of the recovery team, way before the Maverick Hunter arrived. Axl turned his communications link on, contacting Rouge.

 _["Is there something you need, sir?"]_ Asked the operator from the other side of the line. Axl gave the survivors a look, before turning his attention back to the call.

"I found the team that sent the distress signal. They suffered some casualties, but are otherwise fine."

 _["Roger that, sir. I'll be making preparations for their extraction, over."]_ Rouge replied, typing on her keyboard to send a message for a search and rescue, before cutting of all. With a smirk, Axl gave the Resistance members a thumb up.

"Extraction's coming here soon to pick you up." The survivors quietly chrered at the good news, with Pegeon trying to stand up, ignoring the pain caused by the broken cackling circuits of his destroyed arm.

"Many thanks, sir. We didn't know what could happen to us if you did not arrive." Thanked Pegeon, saluting with his remaining arm, with the other survivors doing the same.

"Ha-ha, don't mention it. Thank Rouge when you get back to base, she's the one who discovered the signal." Axl gave a smirk, before turning his attention to the large door that lead deeper into the large warehouse, then back to the soldiers again. "Anyways, time to go. I came across some blue Sniper Joes along the way; and wiped them out, of course. They may be still there, so be careful." The Maverick Hunter told them, with a nod from Pegeon, who also raised a brow.

"Blue Sniper Joes? I think you meant Pantheons, sir." Said the team's CO. They'd encountered some while they were trapped here, so dealing with them won't be that much of a problem. Pegeon turned to his men. "Okay, let's go, now! We don't want to stay here any longer now, do we?" And with that, the surviving batch of Resistance soldiers left, heading towards the exit. With a nod, Axl went his way, walking up to the intricately built steel door.

The door greatly resembled one that leads to a Boss Chamber, though the Black Reploid did not get any feeling of this mission ending up any sooner. With the sound of the door sliding open vertically, Axl entered, walking down that a long hallway that, expectantly, lead to another door similar with the one earlier. He could not remove the feeling of familiarity looming over him, as each step the Reploid took made him closer to the entrance.

"This strangely feels nostalgic." Axl murmured, and with a final tap of his foot, the door opened in a similar fashion, revealing a large, cubic chamber with the same door at the end of the room, though the unlit switch at the centre told him that it was locked. His internal alert systems flashed different warning prompts as a short tremor as felt inside the spacious chamber, followed by a strange roar.

"What the-?!" The Maverick Hunter tried to remain balance as the tremor intensified, before stopping all of a sudden. Next thing he knew, a part of the ceiling exploded, sending falling debris down, while shooting the ones that went near him with his hand gun. A large, gaping hole with branching cracks around it was found above, and hearing another roar, a dragon-like mechaniloid appeared, coming from outside. It generically looked like what a dragon should, except its body was segmented into sixteen hexagonal shapes, with eight of these having what seems to be rocket launchers mounted on its two sides, left and right.

The other remaining segments had turret-like weapons, and the Dragon Mechaniloid's head itself was a weapon in its own right, with drill-like protrusions that resembled horns, and bladed edges that served as its fangs. Overall, it was indeed one monster of a mechaniloid. Axl trained his gun at the enemy, who stayed still in the air, its red, electronic eyes staring at the Black Reploid's green.

"So you're the one…" Without warning, the Dragon Mechaniloid lunged forward, baring its sharp blades for teeth at Axl. With a help of his leg part's thrusters and dual gliders, Axl was able to dash and immediately glide out of the way, the area from where he last stood exploding into a cloud of dust. The Dragon Mechaniloid emerged from the crash, shaking fragments of rock and metal pieces off its form. It gave a loud, draconic roar, before eyeing its target, snarling every now and then. With a smirk, Axl twirled his handgun, before finally pointing it again at the mechaniloid, a cocky smirk on his face.

"Maverick sighted. Axl, engaging!"

 **Author's Note: Hey there, guys! Sorry for the super long wait. As I've wrote earlier, updates will be rather slow. School and other things of utmost importance are at the top of my priorities, so I apologize if new chapters may not come as fast as one would expect. OCs will be used to avoid redundancy, but are nevertheless just side characters. Criticism is welcome, and many thanks to you viewers too!**


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